The inaugural event of Fenway Parks 100th birthday year, was Frozen Fenway 2012; which began and will end with a “Free Skate” with college and high school hockey sandwiched in between. The first high school hockey contest featured Latin Academy and East Boston High School. The last was played yesterday, “Rivalry Day” Saturday January 14th and included Catholic Memorial and Boston College High Schools. There is serendipity in high school sports, their rivalries, their historic significance and Fenway Park.

You see 100 years ago when Fenway opened her gates, the very first non Red Sox baseball event held was a high school football game. Now this was not just any high school football game but it was Boston English High against Boston Latin High. That day in November of 1912, those schools were celebrating the 25th year of their rivalry. Thanksgiving Day 2012 Latin and English will play each other for the 125th consecutive year, the longest high school football rivalry in the nation. In the 1912 game, Latin emerged victorious 7-6 and left the field unaware that a century later two other high schools in a whole different sport would play out their passion in the same environs. The CM/BC High hockey rivalry, although not as longstanding, is filled with a heated intensity.

In the first decade of this new millennium, the Knights of Catholic Memorial have been the state’s “Super 8 Champs” in 2003, ’04’, ’05’, and ’09’. The Eagles have held that same crown in 2002, ’06’ and ’07’. It is high school rivalry at its best and yesterday it unfolded in the shadow of the “Green Monstah” upon New England’s most hallowed ground.

BC High came in as the decided favorite, sporting a record of 6-1 while Catholic Memorial’s Knights were 4-3. Yet you wouldn’t know it by the play of a scoreless first period as the Knights out shot BC 12-3. However, things turned around quickly in the second period as BC High scored 39 seconds in and added two more en route to a 4-0 win.

BC High sophomore Tom Besinger assisted on the Eagles second goal.

So the day ended with the Eagles at 6-1 and Catholic Memorial back to even at 4-4. Six weeks remain in the Massachusetts Prep hockey season and these rivals will meet again. But yesterday the young men of two Greater Boston institutions steeped in tradition made history, and when Fenway Park celebrates her 150th birthday, they will proudly tell their grandkids about the day they laced up their skates and took to “the field”. The day that heaven froze over!

And so it is on this day in Fenway Park history January 14, 2012.

tylnf

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About fenwaypark100

Hello and welcome, my name is Raymond Sinibaldi. An educator for more than two decades, a baseball fan for nearly 60 years, I have authored four books about baseball and her glorious history; with a fifth on the way in late spring of 2015; the first, The Babe in Red Stockings which was co-authored with Kerry Keene and David Hickey. It is a chronicle of Babe's days with the Red Sox. We also penned a screenplay about Babe's Red Sox days so if any of you are Hollywood inclined or would like to represent us in forwarding that effort feel free to contact me through my email. In 2012 we three amigos published Images of Fenway Park in honor of the 100th birthday of Fenway Park. That led to the creation of this blog. The following year, 2013 came my first solo venture, Spring Training in Bradenton and Sarasota. This is a pictorial history of spring training in those two Florida cities. The spring of 2014 brought forth the 1967 Red Sox, The Impossible Dream Season. The title speaks for itself and it also is a pictorial history. Many of the photos in this book were never published before. The spring of 2015 will bring 1975 Red Sox, American League Champions. Another pictorial effort, this will be about the Red Sox championship season of 1975 and the World Series that restored baseball in America. I was fortunate enough to consult with sculptor Franc Talarico on the “Jimmy Fund” statue of Ted Williams which stands outside both Fenway Park and Jet Blue Park Fenway South, in Fort Myers Florida. That story is contained in the near 300 posts which are contained herein. This blog has been dormant for awhile but 2015 will bring it back to life so jump on board, pass the word and feel free to contact me about anything you read or ideas you may have for a topic. Thanks for stopping by, poke around and enjoy. Autographed copies of all my books are available here, simply click on Raymond Sinibaldi and email me.